Volunteer Monica Helinski

My first foreign volunteer experience was in Bhutan as part of a medical team utilizing my special work expertise. While in Bhutan, I learned about Habitat and then had the pleasure of joining Roger on the Vietnam Habitat team in 2011. I am from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and reside in the city neighborhood of Squirrel Hill. Squirrel Hill was very creatively named in that it has lots of squirrels and lots of hills. I work as a nurse anesthetist in a large teaching hospital affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh. I enjoy my job very much, as well as, teaching. I help as needed with various workshops at the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing and precept students in the operating room.

I am an active person who enjoys working out and anything to do with the outdoors. I routinely run, hike, lift weights, and enjoy the occasional yoga class…and I always enjoy a walk with my dog Molly…who walks me most of the time.

I am very close with my family and friends and they are an intricate part of my spare time…I love a cozy dinner with good company and good convo. I seek to learn and strive to spark my curiosity through experiences and the people intertwined with those experiences…whether during any average day or through travel. One of my personal goals is to expand my vantage point from every angle possible through travel and hopefully being able to give to others while doing so. I feel I have been afforded much opportunity in my life, often made possible by wonderful mentors, teachers, and just plain generous people. I wish to give back and pay it forward.

Volunteer Margaret Downen

This is my first adventure with Habitat International and I look forward to rolling up my sleeves and getting my hands dirty. I have been actively supporting local charities by volunteering for more than twenty-five years and I love to travel. Therefore, when a friend recently told me about this global organization, I realized it presented an opportunity to intertwine my love of philanthropy with my love of travel. I also realized my wilderness survival training might come in handy and I had better make sure my CPR certification is up to date. I graduated from Cal-Poly Pomona with a BS degree in Biology and Scientific Computer Programming, but when I’m not looking for an adventure, I am a financial consultant/corporate controller. Don’t ask me how I went from Biology to Finance, all I can say is I love math. Moreover, many people can’t read a financial statement to save their lives. I was born and raised in Southern California and moved to the Pacific Northwest after college where I raised two amazing young men, the youngest (20) is attending the University of Oregon (Go Ducks!) and the oldest (23) works in Seattle having graduated from the University of Washington.